I like Mondays.
And before you ask, no, I’m not a freak who enjoys pain over the pleasure of a lazy relaxing weekend. Not so long ago, I was one of those people who struggled big-time with the Monday early-morning start. Just the knowledge that Monday was coming, would overshadow my weekend. I would go as far as adopting coping strategies, such as declining a Sunday drink, or a late-night Sunday movie, in an effort to make the Monday morning less painful. But, Mondays didn’t like me, and the feeling was mutual.
Then 2020 happened, and WFH (work from home) became a real thing, and so much more than just a three-letter-acronym and change of desk. Since March this year, all my Mondays have been spent at home. So many Mondays have since passed, the day follows an easy structure, which suits me perfectly. Gone are the ungodly early gym classes, and long caffeinated drives to the office. Monday sunrise now sees me into a slower start, under a pink sky. I potter in the garden with a cup of tea, do exercises, yoga, meditation on the deck, read the news and learn a little Spanish on the couch, shower, and then, and only once I am 100% fully present, do I sit down with my laptop at my desk. The interesting part is, I am still getting the same amount of work done as I would have, had I gone into the office. Without the commute, and the in-person interactions, my productivity has shot right up. I mention this because I’m a drop in the ocean of a whole new community of remote workers. WFH is an evolution of the work place that has defined 2020: it’s changed how and where we live, and even changed our language. New words we created this year, because of coronavirus, include “Zoom town”, which is a remote place where housing sales boom due to buyers who now, err, work remotely. The property market in our remote island Grand Cayman hasn’t yet suffered, with optimism riding high, that folks will choose this little piece of paradise to live and work online. Last month the Government introduced the Global Citizen Conceirge Program to incentivize remote workers, digital nomads, and their families to work, live and play in the Cayman Islands for up to 2 years.
It’s a good idea, but not a unique concept, with several similar countries offering similar concepts, such as Barbados’ 12-month welcome Stamp and Bermuda’s One-year Residency Certificate, vying for the same high net worth individual with no ties. Some programs come with perks too. Hawaii’s ‘Movers and Shakas’ program will throw in free flights if you choose to work remotely from their island, for example. Estonia’s e-visa offers the opportunity to start a business in the E.U., and the bonus is, you don’t even have to be there! Perhaps Cayman should up the ante, throw in a stingray adoption certificate as an additional perk. Or gift a free iguana. With zero new cases of Covid recorded among the local population, Grand Cayman is a virus-free safe haven that is possibly attraction enough. If you’re interested in remote working in the Cayman Islands, you can apply here >>
Most WFH folks, however, are not considering relocation. Many are simply happy to have dropped the commute. And now, months into the global coronavirus pandemic, the remote working arrangements that felt temporary in the spring are beginning to feel much more permanent. Three major tech companies – Dropbox, Twitter and Square – all announced they would be letting employees work remotely forever. And even companies that want to bring people back to the office – like media giant The New York Times – say workers won’t be returning until the summer of 2021.
The pandemic has normalised remote work. Question is, will we ever go back to the office again – and, if so, how often? What impact will a ‘hybrid’ way of working have on how we communicate, connect and create? Will work-from-home be the great leveller in terms of gender equality and diversity? And what will work mean if our offices are virtual and we lose those day-to-day social interactions?
In our company, we’ve been using Slack for about 4 years to communicate. I love it. And it has never been more needed than now. I also like what Slack co-founder and CEO Stewart Butterfield has to say on the subject of WFH: “We all know that work will never be the same, even if we don’t yet know all the ways in which it will be different. If we can move past decades of orthodoxy about 9-to-5, office-centric work, there’s an opportunity to retain the best parts of office culture while freeing ourselves from bad habits and inefficient processes, from ineffective meetings to unnecessary bureaucracy. Every leader believes they can do better, and things can move faster: this is their chance.”
Perhaps this is our once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine the 9-5, Monday to Friday job. Perhaps this is the start of many more Happy Mondays to come.
